Those who face the wall, but are in the Nascent Soul stage.

Chapter 368 God's Lovers

The etiquette towards Luo Qing.

Li Bai accepted it calmly, picked up his brush again, and began to draw the unfinished space teleportation talisman: "Actually, I don't like most of the gods, including myself. I don't even like myself. But I have a lot of goodwill towards the Carbon-Based Federation, and I'm even willing to form an alliance with the Carbon-Based Federation and stay in the Milky Way permanently. Do you know why?"

Luo Qing thought for a moment and replied, "If we consider my understanding of god-level civilizations, god-level individuals are people who transcend their own interests and pursue ideals instead... Could it be that the Carbon-Based Federation satisfied your artistic pursuits?"

Li Bai shook his head: "The Carbon-Based Federation cannot satisfy my artistic needs. I haven't even found my true path in art yet."

"The reason is?"

"The reason I stay in the Milky Way is partly to keep the god worshipped by the silicon-based empire in check, since that guy is really annoying. The other reason is that I really admire what the carbon-based federation does; they are moral people, and they practice morality."

Luo Qing grasped a key piece of information: behind the silicon-based empire, there are also god-level individuals joining the ranks.

Wasn't it said that god-level individuals are all in the Light Ocean stage and don't participate in the Dark Forest War? What's going on here?
Luo Qing frowned inwardly.

Li Bai sketched the talismans and spoke calmly: "The Milky Way Carbon-Based Federation is the only civilization among the 17 fibers I have traveled through, most of the KBC void, 1‰ of the observable universe, and about 7672 million galaxies that practices the ideals of God with non-divine power."

Can divine ideals be practiced without divine power?
Li Bai: "The Carbon-Based Federation is truly putting all its strength into practicing its moral values, rather than just talking nonsense like that little girl before. Moreover, the Carbon-Based Federation will not be bound to death by morality."

To defend against the silicon-based empire, the carbon-based federation could also construct a starless isolation zone spanning ten thousand light-years. During this zone, tens of thousands of civilizations below level 3C would exist, and trillions of lives would perish directly from the disappearance of their stars. Yet, the carbon-based federation did just that, precisely to minimize further casualties. I admire them for that.

Luo Qing could understand this appreciation; prioritizing the greater good over trivial matters and facing the scrutiny of the masses with equanimity—this kind of magnanimity as an emperor is not something everyone can possess.

Luo Qing said, "But there's something I don't understand."

Li Bai: "You mean to say that god-level civilizations don't participate in the Dark Forest War, right?"

Luo Qing nodded.

Li Bai's explanation is also very simple.

"The actions of the Carbon-Based Federation have defied the heavens and the rules of the universe. This behavior of the entire population ascending has touched the bottom line of some god-level civilizations. The resources of the universe cannot withstand such exaggerated consumption by the Carbon-Based Federation. If there were not still some gods, the Dark Forest attack against the Carbon-Based Federation would have started long ago, instead of just targeting a small silicon-based empire."

Luo Qing was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

Li Bai was always like this; in what seemed like ordinary conversations, he would suddenly drop a lot of important information.

"Didn't they say... that God's civilization has aged and died out?" Luo Qing asked in a low voice.

Li Bai explained: "Only a portion of them have aged and perished. The lovers of the gods are still here, and they have also left the observable universe to join forces with those who are dedicated to restoring the structure of the universe to find other ways."

It turned out to be the case.

The ability to reach beyond the observable universe suggests that the God civilization must have split into two parts: one part reached the level of a god-like civilization, while the other part had aged to the extreme and needed human care.

After clarifying this point, Luo Qing understood why the silicon-based empire also had a god-level civilization backing it.

It is likely that some of the gods, disapproving of the carbon-based federation establishing a small, pseudo-bright ocean world in the background of the dark forest, sided with the silicon-based empire and chose to intervene.

If that's the case, then the silicon-based empire is probably more troublesome than imagined.

Unexpectedly, the Carbon-Based Federation has quite a few god-level entities stationed there. Including Li Bai, there are four permanent residents, and another nine god-level civilization entities have been in the Milky Way for at least 20 million years. These 13 gods existing within the territory of the Carbon-Based Federation in the Milky Way, while not directly participating in the war, can effectively deter the gods of the Silicon-Based Empire from making any rash moves.

This led to a balance of power between the carbon-based federation and the silicon-based empire.

The carbon-based federation drove the silicon-based empire to the end of the first cantilever, but it was never able to completely annihilate the silicon-based empire.

The root cause is... divine intervention.

However... considering the broader context of the universe, can gods like Li Bai, who are devoted to the Carbon-based Federation, really be considered the majority?

Luo Qing was very suspicious.

If an advanced civilization successfully wins the Dark Forest War and ascends to godhood, it's unlikely their mindset will immediately shift to the Light Ocean.
After all, according to the Dark Forest Theory, eliminating those lower civilizations is simply a matter of elimination, and it does no harm; in fact, it may even contribute to extending the lifespan of the universe to some extent.

Li Bai then pointed to the futon where Cheng Xin had sat earlier: "That's why I say that, given the stage of human development, if individuals like that little girl appear in large numbers, it would actually be very dangerous for civilization itself."

Luo Qing nodded in deep agreement: "Indeed, but as long as I am here, human civilization will not have developed into what it is today."

Li Bai shook his head: "That's true, but we still need to be careful. It's not just civilizations that are fragile, but also the universe. With idealistic moralists like these, there's a possibility that they could destroy the entire universe if we're not careful."

Luo Qing shook his head: "Destroy the universe?"

Li Bai nodded: "Destroy the universe!"

The two stared at each other with serious expressions for a long time before Luo Qingxian finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Destroy the universe? How is that possible? Who do you take this little girl for? The Grim Reaper?" Luo Qing mocked.

Li Bai laughed as well: "From a probabilistic point of view, anything is possible."

...

One day later.

As Li Bai finished drawing the fourth spatial teleportation talisman, Luo Qing waved his hand slightly, and the talisman, which emitted a faint blue hue, automatically flew into his sleeve.

Li Bai glared at Luo Qing, his expression resentful: "At least let me see my work."

Luo Qing: "What's so interesting about this drawing? If it weren't drawn by you, I wouldn't even want it and would have thrown it in the trash long ago. Come on, come with me to Mercury, and I'll teach you some formations."

Li Bai threw down his pen and straightened his robes: "To learn formations... why go to Mercury?"

Mercury is close to the sun.

"What does this have to do with the sun?"

'Because only you have a power output comparable to the sun,' Luo Qing thought to himself.

Of course, the sentence that came out of my mouth was: "Because art is the sun."

(End of this chapter)